Trial of the Phoenix
by Count Morningstar
Summary: An AU to the anime. The Johto League has ended, and before Ash can decide what to do next, Professor Oak sends him and Misty to run a special errand in Ecruteak City. Along the way Ash meets new friends and enemies, and his connection to Ho-Oh is revealed. Set ten years before my other Pokemon story, Fire for Ice.
1. The Rider from Hoenn

**Introduction:** At last I begin my second Pokemon story. As I said in the summary, this story takes place ten years before my previous Pokemon story, Fire for Ice. Which I guess makes it somewhat of a prequel. It isn't necessary to read Fire for Ice to understand what's going on here though. In fact of you have not read it already it might be best if you don't. That story contains some major spoilers. Anyway, this story is what I think should've happened in the anime after the Johto League. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

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Chapter 1: The Rider from Hoenn

The most inevitable and fundamental part of life is change. There are times when one chapter of a person's life ends and another begins. And most often at those times that person must make a choice about which direction to take. But at those times it is usually difficult to decide just which path to take. For what comes next when a great challenge ends?

That was the dilemma faced by young Pokemon Trainer Ash Ketchum. The Pokemon League's Silver Conference had just come to an end with him making only the top eight. In that short time, many things had changed a bit. Ash's longtime rival, Gary Oak, had decided to pursue becoming a Pokemon Researcher like his grandfather, the renowned Professor Oak. Meanwhile, Ash's friend and traveling companion, Brock, had returned to his family's Pokemon Gym in Pewter City. The winds of change were blowing, and Ash was trying to figure out which path he should take.

Ash had been considering a trip to the Hoenn Region, the homeland of the trainer that had defeated him at the Silver Conference. But before As could decide Professor Oak had made a special request of him to investigate a strange occurrence happening in Ecruteak City in the Johto Region. So once again Ash was out on the road, and of course he wasn't alone. Riding on his head was a yellow rodent-like creature with long pointed ears ending in black tips, red circles on its cheeks, and a tail in the shape of a lightning bolt. This was Ash's first and most trusted Pokemon, Pikachu.

Ash also had a human traveling companion, a girl with red hair tied in an odd ponytail on the left side of her head wearing a yellow tank top and denim shorts held by red suspenders. This was one of Ash's longtime traveling companions, Misty. In her arms, Misty carried a Pokemon of her own, a small somewhat egg-shaped creature that was mostly light yellow in color, but its body was covered by a white eggshell with various red and blue triangular rings on it. The creature had stubby arms and legs a pair of tiny black eyes. On its head were five spikes aligned like a crown. This was Misty's infant Pokemon, Togepi.

Ash and Misty had been on the road for several weeks. After all, it was a long trip by foot from Ash's hometown to Ecruteak. Conversation had been rather light during the entire journey. Whether this was due to Ash's restlessness over trying to decide his next path or the fact that it had been the first time in quite awhile they had traveled without Brock, neither of the two could say. That particular afternoon the two had just left Goldenrod City. Their next stop was Ecruteak, and as before there was very little conversation.

"So, what do you think Brock's up to now?" Misty asked in an attempt to break the silence.

"Dunno." Ash replied, not once turning to face Misty as they walked. "Maybe he's taking on a trainer who's challenged the gym."

"…Well I bet Brock beat him." Misty said enthusiastically in an attempt to keep the conversation alive. Again Ash did not turn to face her. "Um, hey Ash?"

"What?" Ash said as he finally stopped walking and turned to face Misty.

"Well… nothing. Never mind." Misty quickly replied, turning away from Ash a little bit.

"C'mon Misty, what is it you were about to say?" Ash demanded somewhat impatiently.

"Well…" Misty began with a rather nervous expression on her face. "Ash I…"

Before Misty could finish what she was about to say, Pikachu suddenly jumped off of Ash's head and took off into the forest on the left side of the road.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash called as he ran after the little electric mouse. Misty gave off a frustrated sigh and quickly followed after Ash.

After a few short minutes, Ash and Misty finally caught up to Pikachu. The electric rodent had stopped before a large clearing. Running in the clearing was a very large brown lion-like creature with a cream-colored underside. Its paws were white and it had a pair of large spiked grey plates on the sides of its back. In between those plates like a cape was something that looked like billowing grey smoke. The creature had an almost mask-like face with a three-pointed yellow plate on its forehead, red plates on the sides, and a white mustache-like plate on the front of its snout.

"Hey Ash, isn't that Entei?" Misty asked, referring to one of Johto's Legendary Pokemon.

"Sure looks like it." Ash replied, not taking his eyes of the beast.

Suddenly something very fast came into the clearing as if it was chasing Entei. It was a yellow-white horse with a horn on its head like a unicorn. Its mane and tail looked as if they were made of fire, and flames also came out from around its hooves. Ash and Misty recognized the Pokemon as a Rapidash, and they were amazed to see someone riding it. The person in question was a girl who looked to be about fourteen. She had long flowing raven hair and green eyes, and wore a red t-shirt, a green backpack, and denim shorts.

As Ash and Misty continued to watch, the rider's Rapidash suddenly increased speed and was suddenly running alongside Entei. Within seconds she passed Entei and stopped in front of it.

"Now Rapidash, use Hypnosis!" the rider commanded.

Rapidash's eyes began glowing with a pink light. Entei suddenly stopped in its tracks and started stumbling around like it was trying to keep itself from falling asleep.

"I didn't know Rapidash could learn Hypnosis." Ash commented.

"Me neither." Misty told him. "But it looks like this girl has Entei right where she wants it."

"Okay Rapidash, use Take Down!" the rider commanded.

The fiery steed charged into Entei at top speed, knocking the Legendary Beast back a bit.

"Take Down again!" the rider commanded. Rapidash turned around and charged into Entei from the side. "Once more!"

Rapidash charged into Entei a third time. Both Rapidash and Entei looked as if they had taken a beating.

"Hey, that Rapidash is really going to get hurt if that girl keeps using Take Down like that!" Ash commented.

Suddenly the rider reached around to her pack and pulled out a Pokeball. Though it looked different from ones that were normally seen. The top half was orange, and it had a yellow lightning bolt on the top and orange circles on the sides.

"Isn't that one of Kurt's Fast Balls?" Misty asked Ash, referring to one of the custom Pokeballs made by Johto's renowned craftsman Kurt.

"You're right." Ash confirmed. "I guess that's a good ball to use on a fast Pokemon like Entei."

The rider kissed the ball before throwing it at Entei. The ball hit Entei on the forehead and opened up, turning the beast into red energy and sucking it in. The ball closed and fell to the ground. The button on the front of the ball flashed red as it jiggled on the ground. After a few tense moments the ball stopped jiggling and made a noise that signaled that the capture had been completed.

The rider sat on Rapidash looking at the ball with a stunned expression on her face. Eventually she dismounted, walked over, and picked up the ball.

"I did it." The rider whispered to herself.

"Hey!" Ash called as he entered the clearing. "What the heck did you think you were doing?"

"Huh?" the rider responded, finally noticing Ash. "Were you watching me?"

"Yeah I was!" Ash confirmed somewhat angrily. "I know you were trying to capture Entei, but you were pushing your Rapidash way too hard."

The rider suddenly turned and went over to the fiery steed, which was still catching its breath.

"I guess I have been pushing pretty hard, haven't I boy?" the rider said as she stroked Rapidash's snout. "Well you deserve a good rest." With that, the rider called Rapidash back into its Pokeball. "As for you, you should know that I don't push my Pokemon any harder than I push myself."

"Just who are you anyway?" Ash demanded.

"Lisa Flare." The rider answered. "Mind telling me who you are?"

"Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Ash answered.

"Pallet Town, huh?" Lisa repeated as she looked up at the sky. "Never heard of it."

"Why you…!" Ash began, but stopped when Lisa finally turned to face him.

Lisa had a very tired expression about her, but Ash noticed that her eyes seemed to be filled with a deep sadness. It was not the expression he expected to see on someone who had just captured a rare Legendary Pokemon like Entei. Ash backed down, and soon Misty entered the clearing.

"So I see I had two spectators." Lisa said as soon as she noticed Misty. "No big deal I guess. Hope you enjoyed the show."

"It's not like we were spying." Misty told her. "We were running after Ash's Pikachu who suddenly ran this way. I guess he heard you chasing Entei. By the way, my name's Misty."

"Charmed." Lisa replied somewhat flatly. "Sorry if I don't seem very social. I haven't had a lot of sleep lately. I guess that's part of being obsessed."

"How long have you been chasing Entei?" Ash asked.

"Oh, four, maybe five months I think." Lisa yawned. "Either way I could use a break. You guys could join me I guess."

"I guess that'd be okay." Ash responded.

"Fine with me." Misty agreed.

Within moments the three had sat down and ate some sandwiches that Lisa had prepared earlier. Pikachu and Togepi were eating bowls of Pokemon Food that had been left as a parting gift from Brock. After a few minutes the party had finished eating.

"Those were some good sandwiches." Ash commented.

"Yeah, they were almost as good as Brock's cooking." Misty agreed.

"I do my best." Lisa responded.

"So where're you from Lisa?" Misty asked.

"Lilycove City." Lisa answered. "It's a place in the Hoenn Region."

"So why'd you come to Johto?" Ash asked.

"…About a year ago a very close friend of mine died." Lisa began hesitantly. "When it happened I lost my passion for Pokemon battles…. I lost my passion for a lot of things actually. One day I was walking out in the rain, not giving a damn about getting wet. I don't think I even knew where I was going. Suddenly the rain cleared and I looked up and saw this huge bird Pokemon flying towards a rainbow. It was mostly red and had a tail of gold feathers."

"That sounds like Ho-Oh." Ash said with a shocked expression. Lisa's description sounded like the same legendary bird he and Pikachu had seen when their journey first began.

"That's what I was told it was called." Lisa responded. "I guess most of the people around here have heard of it. Anyway, after I learned a little more about the Pokemon I saw I decided to come here to Johto. It was right after I left Olivine City when I saw Entei. I learned more about Entei in Ecruteak City and became obsessed with chasing it down... I guess it was all to deal with the grief of my friend's death."

"So what do you plan to do now?" Misty asked.

"I honestly have no clue." Lisa answered. "I've been chasing after Entei for so long I never thought about what I'd do if I actually caught it."

"You could come with us." Ash suddenly suggested. "Misty and I are headed to Ecruteak City to do a favor for Professor Oak."

"Aren't you afraid I'd be a third wheel?" Lisa asked.

"We wouldn't mind at all." Misty assured her. "Ash and I have actually gotten used to traveling with a third person along."

"Well, if both of you are okay with me tagging along, I guess I'll go with." Lisa finally agreed, and within moments the three got back on the road.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Lisa is an OC I introduced in Fire for Ice. Here I've finally revealed a little bit of her backstory. So I've obviously changed a few things from the anime. One thing I didn't change though is Brock leaving. I gotta be honest, I've never been a big fan of Brock. Though at times he does make a good comic relief character. I actually do have an idea for a story featuring him that I may or may not do in the future.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	2. Enter Noir Mask

**Author's Note:** This chapter mainly focuses on the villains, or some of them at least. One of those villains is an OC I introduced in my other story, Fire for Ice. If you haven't read Fire for Ice, than this is a pretty good introduction to that character.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

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Chapter 2: Enter Noir Mask

The evening sun had begun to set as Ash, Misty, and Lisa continued on their journey to Ecruteak City. But what the trio did not know was that they were being followed. In the sky above was a hot air balloon in the shape of a cat's head, though it was an odd looking cat. It was cream-colored and had black ears, very big eyes, and two whiskers on each cheek. Whoever had designed the balloon seemed to have neglected to give the cat a nose, but adorning its forehead was a large gold charm. Attached to the side of this cathead balloon on the right side was what appeared to be the cat's arm with its paw raised, and on the back was the tail, which was light-brown at the end and curled.

Riding in the green basket of the balloon was a young man with somewhat long lavender hair and a young woman with long almost dark-red hair wearing almost identical outfits that featured white shirts, both with a big red letter R on the front. Beneath these white shirts was a black undershirt, though the young woman's outfit revealed her mid drift. Another difference was that while the young man wore white pants, the young woman wore a white skirt that ended well above the knees. Both members of the duo also wore black boots and gloves, though the woman's boots ended above her knees and her gloves went past her elbows.

"Have you spotted them yet James?" the young woman asked rather impatiently.

"That I have Jessie." The young man known as James said as he spied on Ash's group through binoculars.

"Well it's about time." Jessie huffed. "I can't believe you lost them in that forest."

"It looks like the twerps have a new friend with them." James observed. "Some girl with black hair."

"Eh, at twerp's a twerp." A voice said from the floor of the basket. The creature that spoke was a large cream-colored cat whose likeness was used for the balloon, though it had a body and stood on its hind legs. "Besides, it won't matter how many of 'em are once my new super sucker is finished."

"How long will it take to build it Meowth?" Jessie asked the cat.

"Probably a couple of days." Meowth answered as he looked over some schematic drawings. "But once it's done we'll be able to suck Pikachu, Togepi, and any other Pokemon those twerps got right up to us with even having to leave our balloon."

"Excellent!" Jessie exclaimed happily. "Soon Pikachu will finally be all ours."

Jessie's celebration was short lived, as suddenly something flying at high speed went past the balloon. Its pass was soon followed by the sound of fabric tearing and air escaping. The trio screamed as the balloon plummeted back down to earth.

"What was that?" James asked moments after the balloon had crash-landed.

"I think I know." Meowth said as he pointed up to the sky.

Jessie and James looked up to see a small black bird flying through the air. It had a large yellow crooked beak and it looked as if it was wearing a hat on its head. Its tail looked similar to a feather duster.

"Is that a Murkrow?" James asked.

"The nerve of that thing to take down our balloon like that!" Jessie shouted as she stormed off into the forest in the same direction as the Murkrow. "I'm gonna teach that bird brain a lesson!"

"Jessie, wait!" James called as he and Meowth followed after Jessie.

The trio chased after the Murkrow for several minutes until it landed in some nearby bushes. Just as Jessie was about to follow Murkrow in and pound it into the ground, a creature lunged out at the trio, causing them to scream and jump back several feet. The thing that had jumped out at them was a fox-like creature that stood on its hind legs at a height of five feet. It had a pointed snout and ears and its upper torso was covered in thick black fur. Much of the rest of its fur was dark-grey, but it had a large mass of red fur on the top of its head tied back into a ponytail by a teal orb. Red fur also rimed the creature's blue eyes, and the inside of its ears and its claws were red as well.

"W-what is that thing?" a frightened James asked.

"Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't wanna eat us!" an even more frightened Meowth replied.

"He's called a Zoroark." A female voice suddenly said. "And he has no appetite for losers like you."

Stepping out from the bushes was a girl who looked to be about thirteen. The Murkrow the trio had been chasing was perched on her right shoulder. The girl had very pale skin and blond hair that ended just past her shoulders. A black mask with light-blue lenses covered the top half of her face. Aside from the mask the girl also wore a black shirt that had a large red letter R on the front and a white skirt with a red band near the bottom that ended just above the knees. She also wore white knee-high boots with a red strip near the top, and elbow-high gloves of a similar design. Atop of the girl's head was a black cap with a red feather sticking out the right side, and around her neck was a white cape that was draped down over her left arm and went down as far as her skirt.

"You get lost on the way to a costume party of somethin'?" Meowth asked the masked girl.

"Wow, a talking Meowth." The girl observed. "I thought whoever wrote the file on you guys was trying to make some kind of weird joke. But I can obviously see that it's true."

"Who are you?" Jessie demanded to know.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot to introduce myself." The girl realized. "I am Noir Mask, a special agent of Team Rocket sent here to investigate your activities."

"You, a member of Team Rocket?" Jessie laughed. "Yeah right."

"You guys too, huh?" Noir Mask sighed. "Every time I go on one of these missions it's the same thing. 'She can't be member of Team Rocket. She's way too young.' It gets real old after awhile. Now look, I came here because reports at HQ said you three were wasting your time on a pointless mission! So you better cooperate or it won't be pretty!"

"Yeah right. Get lost kid!" Meowth told her, but he flinched when Zoroark growled at in as a response.

"Okay, it looks like I once again need to prove I'm not kidding around." Noir Mask said as she pulled out a large silver disc-shaped device with a blue gem in the center from behind her back.

She put the disc down on the ground, and in seconds the blue gem lit up and projected a blue hologram of a man with slicked back hair wearing a suit sitting in a. Sitting next to the man was a very large cat with black ears and a small gemstone on its forehead. The man stroked the top of the cat's head.

"It's the boss!" Jessie, James, and Meowth exclaimed in unison. They recognized the man as the absolute leader of Team Rocket, and the cat as his cherished pet, a Persian.

"Report Noir Mask." The hologram ordered.

"Giovanni sir, I have located Team Rocket members Jessie and James." Noir Mask reported. "They are refusing to cooperate with me."

"Not taking you seriously because of your age I assume." Giovanni observed. "Do not trouble yourself Noir Mask, with time that will no longer be a problem."

"Sir, is this girl really a member of Team Rocket?" Jessie asked hesitantly.

"Noir Mask is one of my top agents." Giovanni confirmed with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Which is more than I can say for you three. Now you ordered to give Noir Mask your full cooperation."

"Yes boss." Jessie, James, and Meowth said together.

"It's all yours." Giovanni said to Noir Mask.

"A few years ago the three of you were fairly well-known agents, but after awhile you stopped reporting back to HQ. Care to explain what you've been doing all this time?" Noir Mask asked the trio.

"We've been pursuing a trainer with a very rare and powerful Pokemon." Jessie obediently answered.

"Oh I see, and just what is this rare Pokemon?" Noir Mask asked somewhat sarcastically. "Is it a Metagross, a Dragonite perhaps?"

"It's actually a Pikachu." James admitted.

"A Pikachu? Really?" Noir Mask said in a very unimpressed tone. "I'll admit that Pikachu are rather uncommon, but I hardly think that there's one worth the time and effort you've put into chasing."

"But this Pikachu is special." Meowth cut in.

"Do you happen to have a picture of this 'special Pikachu' you been after?" Noir Mask asked. James walked over and handed her a surveillance photo of Ash and Pikachu. Right away Noir Mask looked at it. "Seems like an ordinary Pikachu to me."

"But it is special!" Meowth insisted. "It beat us the first time we ran across it. When that happened we knew that were dealin' with a Pokemon that was truly unique."

"Or it just proved that you three are way weaker than you think." Noir Mask retorted. "Either way I think I see what's going on. You ran across some trainer with a Pikachu. They happened to beat you, you wanted to get back at them, you were beaten again, and soon you became obsessed. By now I'm sure your skills as Team Rocket members has deteriorated."

"We'll have you know that we're as strong as we ever were!" Jessie declared sounding insulted.

"Interesting. Let's test that, shall we?" Giovanni interrupted. "The three of you shall face Noir Mask in a battle. If you're able to defeat her then perhaps you are as strong as you claim. But if you can't defeat her it may be time to reconsider your place in Team Rocket."

"An excellent idea sir." Noir Mask agreed. "So how 'bout it you three? Think you can take me?"

"Prepare for trouble 'cause we're taking you down!" Jessie declared as she took a dramatic pose.

"Make it double, we're not playing around!" James added as he also took a dramatic pose.

Zoroark suddenly fired several black energy rings from his mouth at the ground in front of the trio, causing them to cry out.

"What the hell are you doing?" Noir Mask asked impatiently.

"Our motto." James explained with an insulted look. "We do it every time we enter battle. It leaves a dazzling impression of who we are."

"And just how long does your little introduction take?" Noir Mask asked. "You're leaving yourselves wide open to enemy attack by doing that nonsense."

"No one's ever attack us durin' the motto before." Meowth argued. "And we've been doin' it for years."

"Then obviously the trainers you've been doing it in front of are bigger idiots than you three." Noir Mask retorted.

"Now see here you little…!" Jessie began to curse.

"Just get on with it you three!" Giovanni shouted, causing the trio to flinch.

"Okay then, go Arbok!" Jessie called as she threw out a Pokeball. Emerging from the thrown ball was a very large purple cobra with a red, black, and yellow design on the front of its hood that looked like a monstrous face.

"Go Weezing!" James called as he threw out his own Pokeball.

Coming out of the thrown ball was a large floating grayish-purple ball with several bumps on it and a large face without a nose. Just below the face was a white symbol that resembled a skull and crossbones symbol. Attached to the left side of this creature was a smaller almost identical creature that was smaller in size.

"Go Meowth!" Meowth cried as he joined his two Pokemon comrades on the battlefield.

"An Arbok, a Weezin, and a freakish Meowth." Noir Mask said with a smirk. "Okay then, to take on Arbok I choose Pawniard!"

Emerging from Noir Mask's thrown ball was a short somewhat humanoid creature that looked like it was wearing a mostly black helmet that was red on top and had a curved blade sticking out on the forehead. Its torso was dark-grey, and sticking out on the front were two bladed discs that gave the impression of ribs. Its arms and legs looked as if they were covered in red armor, and instead of hands it had silver blades.

"To take on Weezing I choose Deino!" Noir Mask announced as she threw out another ball.

Emerging from the ball was a blue dog-sized lizard like creature with a long neck. Black fur covered its neck and most of its head, leaving only its snout visible. Suddenly Deino began to glow with a white light and change shape. When the light cleared Deino had become much large and had grown a second head right next to its first. A pair of ribbon-like wings had formed on its back.

"Oh wow! My cute little Deino has evolved into a Zweilous." Noir Mask said happily. "Anyway, to take on Meowth I choose Zoroark."

Zoroark loomed over Meowth and growled.

"Can I switch with Weezing?" a frightened Meowth begged.

"You'd rather face a two-headed dragon?" Noir Mask retorted.

"Uh, never mind." Meowth said, quickly taking back his previous suggestion.

"Arbok, attack with Poison Sting!" Jessie commanded.

Arbok opened its mouth and fired off several blue glowing needles. The needles bounced harmlessly off the armored Pokemon.

"You're using a poison attack against a Steel-type Pokemon?" Noir Mask laughed. "You do know that Steel-types aren't damaged by Poison-type attacks, right?"

"Of course I know that!" Jessie lied. "I was… just seeing of you did."

"How pathetic. Pawniard, use Night Slash!" Noir Mask commanded.

Pawniard's right arm bald started glowing with a purple light. The little armored Pokemon charged forward and sliced Arbok across the midsection. The purple cobra fell to the ground unconscious.

"Go Weezing, use Smog attack!" James commanded.

Weezing breathed out a thick purplish smoke from both its mouths. Zweilous suddenly flew up a few feet in the air to dodge the attack.

"Dragon Rush Zweilous!" Noir Mask commanded. A blue light surrounded Zweilous's body. The two-headed dragon then rammed into Weezing at top speed, causing the toxic ball of gas to be hurled into a nearby tree. "Finish it off with Dragon Breath!"

Zweilous breathed out streams of green flames from the mouths of both its heads at Weezing. When the attack had ended, Weezing fell to the ground out cold.

"Fury Swipes!" Meowth cried as he bared his claws and leapt at Zoroark.

"Dark Pulse." Noir Mask commanded in a bored tone.

Zoroark hit Meowth with another blast of black energy rings, propelling the feline Pokemon into the same tree that Weezing hit.

"I give up." Meowth announced in a dazed tone.

"Well that was pretty easy." Noir Mask commented as she called Pawniard and Zweilous back to their Pokeballs. "It's clear to me that you three aren't even fit to clean the toilets back at HQ."

"I think I've seen enough." Giovanni interrupted. "Jessie, James, and Meowth, as of this moment you are hereby expelled from Team Rocket."

Jessie, James, and Meowth all had shocked expression on their faces after hearing Giovanni's decree. They could not believe they had been banished from the organization that they had given years of their lives to.

"As for you Noir Mask, you are to take over their mission in case this Pikachu they've been after actually is special in some way." Giovanni continued. "Surly you should be able to complete the mission far faster than they could."

"Of course sir." Noir Mask replied. "What do you want done with those three idiots over there?"

"Do what you wish with them." Giovanni answered.

With that, the hologram of Giovanni and his Persian vanished. Noir Mask turned to face the trio and pulled out another Pokeball from behind her back. The top half of this particular Pokeball was purple and had two pink circles on the top. Just above the button was a small with letter M. But just as Noir Mask was about to send out whatever was in the Pokeball, she looked at the trio and sighed.

"No, you three are too pathetic to experience my hell." Noir Mask said as she put back the Pokeball. "I really do pity you three, especially you Jessie. It's a real shame that the daughter of an elite agent like Miyamoto turned out to be such a failure."

"Wait, you're saying my mother worked for Team Rocket?" Jessie asked with an expression of utter shock.

"You mean you didn't know?" Noir Mask asked in a somewhat surprised tone. "Your mother was one of Team Rocket's top agents from what I've read."

"What do you mean was?" Jessie demanded. "What happened to her?"

"I guess you do have a right to know." Noir Mask said. "She apparently disappeared on a mission to capture the Legendary Pokemon known as Mew."

Jessie was absolutely stunned by this revelation. For years she had wondered what had happened to her mother, and at last she had finally found out.

"Well, I should be going." Noir Mask said to the trio. "I do have to clean up your mess after all. You three have a good life."

With that, Noir Mask and Zoroark walked past the trio in the direction that Ash, Misty, and Lisa were headed when the trio had been following them by air.

"So what do we do now?" James asked.

Jessie called Arbok back to its Pokeball and began walking off in a random direction.

"Hey Jess, where're ya goin'?" Meowth asked.

"To find my mother." Jessie answered simply.

James and Meowth both looked at each other for a moment. James called Weezing back to its ball and in moments he and Meowth began following Jessie.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I've always had mixed feelings about Jessie, James, and Meowth. As incompetent villains they are somewhat amusing at times, but can also be very annoying. Their little motto got pretty old after the second time I heard it. But from time to time the anime has shown that they aren't all bad, they just made some bad choices in life. The three also had some interesting backstories, though I think Jessie's might be the most interesting. It's a real shame the anime didn't explore this thing with Jessie's mother. On that note, I'm not sure if Jessie already knew that her mother was a member of Team Rocket or not. But heck, it's my AU so I may as well do what I want with it.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	3. More Than a Friend

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

Chapter 3: More Than a Friend

Night had fallen and Ash, Misty, and Lisa decided to camp out in another forest clearing. They had a quick dinner and had decided to turn in early, for they wanted to get an early start in order to reach Ecruteak City before the end of the next day. The sky above was lit by thousands of stars and the forest around the three was filled with the gentle sounds of Hoothoot, the Owl Pokemon. Ash, Pikachu, and Togepi had gone to sleep hours before, but Lisa and Misty had decided to stay up and look at the stars for a while longer. They talked quietly amongst themselves about various topics, of their families, their preference for Pokemon, and it seemed that the two of them were starting to become good friends.

"Wow, I never thought I'd get along so well with someone who likes Fire Pokemon so much." Misty said to Lisa.

"We fire users aren't all bad you know." Lisa joked. "But don't think for a minute that you could take me down easily if we ever battled."

"You probably would be a challenge. Especially since you have Entei." Misty pointed out. "Anyway, it's kinda refreshing to be traveling with another girl."

"Even so, I must be ruining your alone time with your boyfriend Ash over there." Lisa assumed.

"A-Ash isn't my boyfriend!" Misty frantically denied, as her face suddenly turned a deep scarlet.

"Oh… I get it." Lisa said with a sly grin. "But I bet you wish he was right?"

"I…" Misty began to retort, but she couldn't get the words to come out.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Lisa guessed. "I mean it's written all over your face."

"…Is it that obvious?" Misty asked with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Lisa assured her. "So how long have you felt this way about him?"

"About a year, maybe a little longer than that." Misty admitted. "At first I couldn't stand him. I mostly followed him so he'd pay me back for the bike that he ruined. But after awhile I really started to like him, and then…"

"So have you told Ash how you feel about him?" Lisa asked.

"No." Misty sighed. "I mean I've tried to a few times, but something keeps getting in the way. Plus I don't think he feels the same way about me. Ash is so immature, and the only thing he seems to think about is Pokemon battles. I just think it would be a waste of time."

"You need to tell him." Lisa suddenly said with a very serious expression. "Maybe Ash doesn't feel the same way about you as you feel about him, but you have to tell him how you feel anyway as soon as possible. Because if you wait too long he may be gone one day and you'll have missed out on your chance, and you'll regret missing out on that chance for the rest of your life. Believe me… I know that all too well."

"Lisa, are you talking about that friend of yours who died?" Misty asked. Lisa said nothing and only looked at Misty with the saddest eyes that Misty had ever seen.

"…We should get some sleep if we want to reach Ecruteak tomorrow." Lisa finally responded before lying down to face away from Misty.

Misty could see that Lisa didn't want to discuss the matter and decided to get some sleep as well. A few minutes had passed, and just as Misty was about to drift off she heard a loud rustling that caused her to shoot up in her sleeping bag. She heard the rustling yet again which caused her to look around.

"Is somebody there?" Misty asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

Her question was quickly answered when Zoroark suddenly leapt from the nearby bushes and roared. The monster fox's appearance quickly awoke Ash and Lisa, along with Pikachu and Togepi. They quickly noticed Zoroark's presence in the camp.

"What Pokemon is that?" Ash asked.

"I've seen a picture of that Pokemon once before. I think it's called a Zoroark." Lisa answered as she slowly got up.

"Well, well, it seems that someone in this group is quite knowledgeable." A female voice suddenly said.

Moments later Noir Mask emerged from the bushes. She looked around at the group and looked shocked at seeing Lisa.

"W-what're you…?" Noir Mask began to ask Lisa as she stepped backward a little.

"Who are you?" Lisa demanded to know.

"You… don't know who I am?" Noir Mask said in a surprised tone.

"I think I'd remember seeing someone like you before. Now who are you?" Lisa demanded again. Noir Mask's lips curved into an amused smirk.

"I am Noir Mask, a special agent of Team Rocket!" Noir Mask announced. "Care to tell me who you are?"

"Lisa Flare." Lisa replied. "I've heard about Team Rocket since coming to this region. You're all a bunch of thieves who steal Pokemon, right?"

"…What of it?" Noir Mask asked coldly.

"Stealing and abusing Pokemon the way you people do. You're nothing but scum!" Lisa declared. "I can't stand people like you!"

"Yes, I'm sure you're merciless to thieves, even if you know them personally." Noir Mask responded with a hint of bile in her voice. "Anyway, I was assigned the mission of acquiring your friend's Pikachu."

"You're not getting Pikachu!" Ash proclaimed.

"We'll see about that." Noir Mask said to Ash. "But first I'd like to take on your friend Lisa in battle."

"I'm in no mood to fight scum like you right now!" Lisa declared. "Go Entei!"

Entei emerged from the thrown Pokeball with a roar. The appearance of the great beast of fire startled both Noir Mask and Zoroark.

"Entei? How did you…?" Noir Mask began to asked.

"Roar Entei!" Lisa commanded. Entei let out a great roar that frightened Zoroark and caused it to go back into its Pokeball.

"Use Thunder Bolt Pikachu!" Ash commanded.

"Pik… a… CHU!" the little electric rodent cried as it shot off a large bolt of yellow lightning.

The attack hit the ground right in front of Noir Mask, creating a huge cloud of dust. Lisa called Entei back to its ball while Misty grabbed Togepi. The group then took the opportunity and ran off, and by the time the dust in front of Noir Mask cleared they were gone. Noir Mask hit a nearby tree with her fist in frustration.

"How could she be here?" Noir Mask asked herself. "How?"

Meanwhile, Ash and the others had stopped running once they had gone a certain distance into the forest.

"Okay, I think we lost her." Lisa said to the other two as they all caught their breath.

"She'll probably be back though." Misty assumed. "This isn't the first time that Team Rocket has come after Pikachu."

"You mean you've run into that masked girl before?" Lisa asked sounding a bit surprised.

"No, it's been some other guys from Team Rocket that have been after Pikachu." Ash answered. "Noir Mask seems a lot worse though."

"Yeah, I've never seen a Pokemon like her Zoroark before." Misty agreed.

"Well, it'll probably be awhile before she comes after us again." Lisa reasoned. "We should probably get some sleep in this spot and move out as early as possible in the morning. Hopefully this Noir Mask won't find us before then."

* * *

Meanwhile, Noir Mask walked through another part of the forest until she came to a small cave. She went in and sat against the wall of the cave entrance to rest. The simple mission to capture a Pikachu had become far more complicated than she ever expected. Of all the people to run into on the mission, Noir Mask did not dream she would encounter Lisa Flare. And the fact that Lisa had the legendary Entei complicated things even more. After a few moments, Noir Mask decided to contact Giovanni and inform him of the situation. She activated the metal disc and in moments a hologram of Giovanni and his Persian appeared before her.

"Report." Giovanni ordered.

"There's been an unexpected development in the mission sir." Noir Mask reported. "One of the trainers accompanying the boy with the Pikachu has an Entei in her possession."

"What?" Giovanni said with a look of surprise.

"Unfortunately I was unprepared for this and they managed to get away." Noir Mask added. "For that I apologize."

"It is understandable I suppose." Giovanni told her. "This changes things greatly. As of now you are to forget about the Pikachu and focus your efforts in acquiring Entei. That is now your top priority."

"Understood sir." Noir Mask replied, and with that the hologram of Giovanni vanished. Noir Mask's lips curved into a somewhat insane grin. "Well my dear Lisa, it looks like things have turned out better than I could've imagined. Soon we'll finally settle the score between us."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This wound up being a shorter chapter than I expected. I've heavily implied that there's a connection between Lisa and Noir Mask. In time I'll reveal just what that connection is, but maybe you can guess already.

In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think.


	4. The Rocker from Sinnoh

**Author's Note:** In this chapter we meet another OC I had originally introduced in Fire for Ice. This character ended up getting pretty underused in that story. He'll play a much bigger role here though.

**Disclaimer:** I do not on Pokemon.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Rocker from Sinnoh

The dawn had finally come, and Ash and the others had already set out for Ecruteak City. They did not sleep well the previous night, mainly due to the fact that they knew Noir Mask was probably hunting them. It also didn't help that they had to leave most of their things behind when they escaped. Fortunately Ecruteak was only a few hours away. The group knew that they would be safer once they got there.

"Well, we haven't seen Noir Mask since last night." Ash commented. "Maybe she gave up."

"I don't think someone like her would give up so easily." Lisa disagreed. "We shouldn't let our guard down, even for a minute."

"Hey Lisa, call me crazy but it seemed like Noir Mask knew who you were." Misty noted. "In fact it seemed like she really hated you for some reason. Are you sure she didn't seem familiar to you at all?"

"I think I'd remember meeting someone like her before." Lisa told her. "And in any case it doesn't really matter. All we need to worry about is fighting her off."

As the three continued on, a Pokemon suddenly leapt from the bushes into their path. It was a large black dog with a red snout. If it had any ears they weren't visible. What the dog had in their place was a pair of white horns that curved back. Its tail ended in a point like that of a devil, and on its back were white bands that looked like ribs. There was also a white band around its neck that had a small skull on the front of it, giving the band the appearance of a dog collar.

"A Houndoom!" Misty observed.

"I wonder if it's wild?" Ash asked. His question was soon answered when Zoroark leapt out from around a nearby tree and joined Houndoom.

"We meet again my dear Lisa." Noir Mask said as she walked out from behind the same tree that Zoroark appeared from behind. "It was wise to leave your things behind when you escaped last night. Too bad I was able to use those items have my little Houndoom track you by your sent."

"You're not getting Pikachu!" Ash declared.

"Oh please, I'm no longer interested in acquiring your little electric friend." Noir Mask told him. "Since our little encounter last night my mission has changed. I've now been ordered to acquire Entei."

"Well if you want t steal Entei, you'll have to go through me!" Lisa proclaimed.

"I was hoping you would say that Lisa." Noir Mask said with a sort of sinister glee.

Before a battle could begin, the riff of an electric guitar suddenly filled the air. The group looked around and saw standing at the foot of a nearby hill was a young man who looked to be in his early teens with spiky blond hair. He was wearing a black t-shirt, a yellow vest, faded jeans, and a pair of sunglasses. The young man held the red electric guitar that the group had heard moments ago. Standing next to the young man was a Pokemon that resembled a lion. It was mostly blue, but had a mane of black fur and additional black fur on its front legs, rear, and tail. Its eyes were red and gold, and on the tip of its tail was what looked like a four-pointed star.

"Well what do we have here?" the young man said. "Here my pal Luxray and I were out for a stroll in this forest and we find a girl in a mask trying to hold up some innocent travelers."

"Who are you?" Noir Mask demanded to know.

"Me? I'm the bad-ass rocker of Sinnoh, Bolt Hanson." The stranger proudly announced. "Now why don't you just lay off these nice people?"

"This is no business of yours, so get lost!" Noir Mask told him. "Otherwise your life will become very unpleasant."

"That kind of talk makes me want to butt in even more." Bolt said as he took out a Pokeball similar to the one Lisa used to capture Entei. "In fact I see this as a good chance to use the Pokemon I caught just a few day ago. Let's rock Raikou!"

Emerging from the ball that Bolt had thrown was a yellow saber-toothed cat with black stripes. It had red eyes, and over its nose was what looked like a blue X. Adorning its forehead was a dark-grey crest, and on its back was something that looked like a purple thundercloud. Its thin tail looked like a light-blue lightning bolt. Raikou roared at the group after emerging from the ball.

"Impossible!" Noir Mask shouted. "First Entei and now Raikou?"

"My new friend here is the legendary Raikou told of in song and story." Bolt confirmed. "But I don't know anything about Entei."

"She's talking about this. Go Entei!" Lisa interrupted as she threw out her Pokeball. Entei roared as it emerged from the thrown ball.

"Okay, that's a weird coincidence." Bolt noted. Meanwhile in Misty's arms, Togepi began waving its stubby little arms back and forth.

"Zoroark, Houndoom, return." Noir Mask commanded as she called her two Pokemon back to their balls. She then pulled out her purple and white Pokeball with the M on it.

"What, are you going to try and catch us all with that Master Ball?" Bolt joked.

"This Master Ball contains my secret weapon." Noir Mask told him "One of my most trusted Pokemon. Go… Darkrai!"

Emerging from Noir Mask's thrown Master Ball was a shadowy creature with an hourglass-shaped body. It had not legs but rather hovered in the air. Its hair looked like a billowing white ghostly flame and covered one of its light-blue eyes. Around its neck was a somewhat spiky growth that resembled a necklace of large red beads. The rest of its body was black and tattered like cloth.

"No way… a Darkrai?" Bolt said with a hint of fear in his voice.

"You've seen that Pokemon before?" Ash asked.

"Only in books with ghost stories." Bolt told him. "It's a Legendary Pokemon from my home region of Sinnoh. They say it puts people to sleep and gives them an endless nightmare."

"Where did she get a Pokemon like that?" Lisa asked.

"In hell." Noir Mask answered with a psychotic grin. "And in a moment you'll all experience my hell first hand. Darkrai, hit them with Dark Void!"

Darkrai raised its arms and between its hands formed a ball of black energy. At the same time, Togepi continued to wave its arms back and forth. The shadowy Pokemon threw the ball, which split apart into several more balls. But seconds before the balls could hit, Togepi's arms flashed and suddenly Ash and the others vanished in a flash of white light. Darkrai's attack hit the ground where they once stood. Noir Mask looked at the suddenly vacant spot with a shocked expression and suddenly cried out in frustration.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash and the others reappeared in another location, and even Entei and Raikou looked around in confusion as to what happened.

"How did we get here?" Ash asked.

"I think Togepi might've done something." Misty theorized as she looked at the egg Pokemon in her arms.

"Misty, you know Togepi can't…" Ash began to say.

"Togepi probably used Metronome and got Teleport." Lisa interrupted. "That was a lucky break for us."

"Togepi can use Metronome?" a surprised Ash and Misty said together.

"Yeah, it's one of the first moves they learn." Lisa told them. "Everyone knows that."

"Well however we got here, it's a pleasure to meet such lovely ladies as yourselves." Bolt interrupted in a smooth manner as he approached Misty and Lisa. "Maybe once we get out of this forest one of you would be interested in going out with me on a date."

"I'd rather drink sewer water." Lisa said sounding very unimpressed.

"Well how 'bout you red?" Bolt asked as he suddenly took Misty's hand. "You and I could have a real nice time together."

"Well I…" Misty began to say.

"Misty isn't interested in going out with a guy like you!" Ash cut in as he suddenly got between Misty and Bolt. "So back off!"

"Whoa, chill out dude." Bolt said as he backed away with his hands raised in surrender. "Didn't know she was your girlfriend."

"S-she's not my girlfriend!" Ash frantically denied. "Misty is the last person in the world I'd want for a girlfriend."

Misty's expression changed to one of rage. She punched Ash hard in the arm. Meanwhile, Lisa just shook her head.

"You're the worst Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled.

"What did I do?" a very confused Ash demanded to know.

"Okay, everyone just cool down." Lisa interrupted. "Now Bolt, wasn't it? How'd you end up with Raikou?"

"I was wondering when one of you guys was going to ask." Bolt chuckled. "I've been chasing Raikou for months. Hunted him all over Johto, and I finally caught him only a couple of days ago. It was a good way to get my groove back."

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked.

"Back home in Sinnoh I was pretty hot stuff." Bolt began. "I was at the top of my game, winning battles left and right. Then I took on one of Sinnoh's Elite Four, a lady named Bertha. I was certain I could beat her, but in the end she creamed me. I didn't help that all her Pokemon were of the Ground-type and all mine were Electric. They still are actually.

"Anyway, after I lost against Bertha my fighting spirit was crushed. I started losing every battle I fought. One rainy day I was taking shelter under a tree playing my guitar. When the rain stopped I looked up, and flying towards a rainbow was this huge red bird glowing with gold light."

"Ho-Oh!" Ash and Lisa said together.

"Uh, yeah. I guess you guys have heard of that Pokemon." Bolt confirmed. "Anyway, after seeing that bird and finding out more about it, I decided that maybe a fresh start was what I needed. So I headed to Johto the first chance I got. And the first Pokemon I saw when I got here was Raikou."

"That sounds a lot like how I first encountered Entei." Lisa observed. "I even saw Ho-Oh before coming here. Just like you, seeing Ho-Oh inspired me to come to Johto."

"Really." Bolt said in a suave manner as he took off his sunglasses, revealing his brown eyes. "Maybe this means that you and I were meant to be together."

Lisa responded by punching Bolt so hard in the eye that he got knocked to the ground. The rest of the group, human and Pokemon alike were surprised.

"In your dreams you wannabe rock-star!" Lisa responded.

"I saw Ho-Oh once too." Ash cut in.

"You serious dude?" Bolt said as he got back to his feet and replaced his sunglasses to cover what would soon be a black eye.

"Yeah, it was back when I first started my Pokemon journey." Ash explained. "Pikachu and I had managed to fight off a flock of angry Spearow. There was a storm during that fight, and when it cleared we both saw Ho-Oh flying through the sky."

"Maybe Bolt's right then." Lisa theorized. "I mean not about him and I becoming a couple. That wouldn't happen even if hell froze over. But maybe the three of us were meant to meet each other."

"You might be onto something there." Bolt agreed. "And come to think of it, doesn't Johto have three Legendary Beasts?"

"That's right, the third is Suicune." Misty cut in. "And Ash saw it the first time he came to Johto."

"You saw Suicune too Misty." Ash pointed out.

"Yeah, but I never saw Ho-Oh." Misty reminded him. "Maybe Lisa and Bolt were meant to capture Entei and Raikou, and maybe you were meant to capture Suicune."

"We could stand here guessing about this stuff all day, but I don't see how we can find out anything for sure." Bolt observed.

"Entei, Raikou, and Suicune are said to be from Ecruteak City." Misty reminded them. "Maybe we could find out more about this there."

"Well we were headed there anyway." Lisa agreed. "We should probably get there before Noir Mask comes after us again. Hopefully Togepi teleported us closer to the city and not farther away."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Bolt and Lisa called back Entei and Raikou, and the four continued on to Ecruteak.

* * *

Meanwhile in another part of the forest, Noir Mask had contacted Giovanni to report Bolt's appearance. The hologram of the Rocket boss listened closely to Noir Mask's story.

"So now a trainer with Raikou has appeared." Giovanni observed. "Hmm… perhaps Suicune will appear next. For now only observe and report. I will be heading to Ecruteak myself. Inform me of any developments until I arrive."

"Yes sir." Noir Mask responded, and with that the hologram vanished. "So now I can only watch…. Okay then, I've waited this long to settle things with Lisa. I guess I can wait a little while longer."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I apologize for not doing too much with the battles in this story. I'm still getting the hang of writing Pokemon battles. Plus I want to save most of the action for later in the story. Anyway, you can probably figure out what direction this story is going.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	5. Prophecy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon. If I did the anime would've been a lot better than it is now.

* * *

Chapter 5: Prophecy

Ash and his friends continued on through the forest. Looming before them in the distance was the tallest building in Ecruteak City, the Tin Tower. From seeing the tower the group knew that their destination was not too far away. Bolt's Luxray had taken point. The electric lion constantly looked around for any sign of Noir Mask. Misty and Lisa followed behind Luxray, while Ash, Pikachu, and Bolt took up the rear. There had been little conversation during the walk, and the whole time Ash had been preoccupied with what had happened with Misty minutes before.

"Hey, don't worry dude. My pal Luxray will let us know if there's trouble." Bolt assured Ash after noticing Ash's troubled expression.

"Huh? Oh, I'm not worried about that." Ash told him. "I'm just trying to figure out why Misty got so mad at me earlier."

"You haven't figured that out yet?" Bolt chuckled. "She got ticked off because you said she was the last girl in the world you'd want as a girlfriend."

"Why would that make her mad?" Ash asked with a confused expression.

"Boy, you really are clueless." Bolt observed. "She's sweet on you dude! She probably wishes that you and she were a little more than just friends if you catch my drift."

"What? You're nuts!" Ash told him. "Misty doesn't think of me that way. In fact the only reason she started following me around in the first place was because she expects me to pay her back for wreaking her bike."

"And how long ago was that?" Bolt asked.

"Uh, well I guess it's been a couple years now." Ash realized as he rubbed the back of his head. "Come to think of it, Misty hasn't brought it up for awhile."

"Well two years is a pretty long time to be mad about a bike getting wrecked." Bolt pointed out. "In fact I wouldn't be surprised if that was just an excuse for her to tag along."

"You're way off on this." Ash insisted.

"Okay, okay, I could be wrong." Bolt admitted. "But let me ask you this dude, why'd you get so ticked when I tried asking Misty out?"

"Well… I just didn't like the idea of Misty dating a guy like you!" Ash told him.

"Okay, well here's a follow-up question, how do you feel about Misty?" Bolt asked.

"I… guess I haven't really thought about it before." Ash admitted.

"You might wanna think about it now." Bolt suggested.

"Hey guys, we're here!" Misty called back.

Moments later the group found that they had left the forest and entered Ecruteak City. The buildings and houses looked as if they were built hundreds of years ago, yet everything looked so new. They felt as if they had stepped back through time.

"Well we're here, so now what?" Lisa asked.

"The errand Professor Oak wanted me to run was at the Ecruteak City Gym." Ash informed her. "We might as well go there first."

"The Gym Leader Morty knows about the Legendary Beasts." Misty pointed out. "He might be able to help us figure out what's going on."

With a plan of action decided, the group entered the city. As they did so however, they were unaware that Noir Mask had caught up to them and was watching from a few feet away. A few minutes after walking through the city, the four finally arrived at the gym. Waiting in front of the gym was a man with slightly long blond hair wearing a blue headband, a light-blue long sleeved shirt, and black pants. Right away, Ash and Misty recognized this man as Morty, the leader of the Ecruteak City Gym.

"I've been expecting you two." Morty said to Ash and Misty. "It's good to see you again."

"Hey Morty." Ash greeted. "Sorry it took us so long to get here."

"It's quite alright." Morty assured him. "It's a long journey from Pallet Town to Ecruteak. I see you've made some new friends though."

"I'm Lisa Flare." Lisa said as she introduced herself with a bow.

"And I'm the bad-ass rocker of Sinnoh, Bolt Hanson." Bolt proudly announced.

"It's nice to meet you both." Morty told them.

"We actually have something we need to ask you about Morty." Ash cut in.

"I'm afraid it will have to wait Ash." Morty said with a serious expression. "Right now I have an important matter to discuss with you. If you'll please all follow me into the gym."

Ash and the others all shrugged at each other and followed Morty into the building. Moments later the group entered the stadium of the gym. Waiting there for them was another man with brown hair wearing a white cape and gloves, a purple tuxedo, and a red bowtie. Ash and Misty remembered the man as Morty's friend Eusine.

"Well it's about time those two kids showed up!" Eusine complained. "I still think you're wrong about this Morty."

"What's going on here Morty?" Ash asked.

"I'm afraid Professor Oak wasn't entirely honest about his reason for sending you here Ash." Morty revealed. "The true reason he sent you here was because I had requested it. There is something I want to show you. It is something that I think you have a right to see, because I believe that you may actually have a connection to Ho-Oh."

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"It's on this wall." Morty answered. "Behold!"

"Ash and the others turned their attention to the part of the wall Eusine was standing next to. On it was an outstretched scroll depicting several written characters, as well as a picture of a large red and gold bird that Ash right away recognized as Ho-Oh.

"This scroll was found a few weeks ago during the Silver Conference while I was going through an old storehouse." Morty explained. "It took me awhile to translate the writing, but the scroll is apparently an old prophecy concerning Ho-Oh and the Legendary Beasts. According to the scroll, it is said that Ho-Oh will one day choose three trainers, each who have lost their path in life. And those three will become the partners to Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Once the three beasts have chosen their partners, Ho-Oh will return to the Tin Tower to test a fourth chosen one, a trainer who will unite with Ho-Oh to destroy an army of evil."

"I still think it's all nonsense." Eusine insisted. "I'm the one who's going to capture Suicune."

"Don't be too sure." Lisa cut in. "Go Entei!"

Entei emerged from the thrown ball with a growl, startling both Morty and Eusine.

"If you need more proof than that, check this out." Bolt added. "You're on Raikou!"

Raikou came out of the thrown ball with a roar and sat down next to Entei. Both Morty and Eusine were simply amazed.

"I don't believe it." Morty said with an expression of awe. "Both Entei and Raikou… captured."

"This is what we wanted to talk to you about when we got here." Ash told Morty. "Not only did Bolt and Lisa capture Raikou and Entei, but they both saw Ho-Oh before coming to Johto."

"Yeah, and at the time I guess you could say we had both lost our path." Lisa added. "I… lost my reason for living when someone close to me passed away."

"And I lost my fighting spirit after being clobbered by one of Sinnoh's Elite Four." Bolt cut in. "I guess seeing Ho-Oh and chasing down these two cats gave both Lisa and I a new reason to live."

"Then perhaps the prophecy is true." Morty realized. "It might not have been a coincidence that I had just found that scroll. Nor is it a coincidence that the four of you have met."

"Then who's the person that's supposed to partner with Suicune?" Ash asked.

"I think it's you Ash." Misty spoke up. "You saw Ho-Oh when you started your journey, and you saw Suicune the day you came to Johto."

"But you and Brock saw Suicune too, remember?" Ash pointed out.

"But Brock and I never saw Ho-Oh." Misty reminded him. "Plus you've lost your path like Lisa and Bolt did. Ever since the Silver Conference you've been trying to figure out what to do next. It all fits Ash."

"She has a point dude." Bolt agreed. "Why else would you've run into Lisa and I?"

"I still don't think I'm the one." Ash insisted.

"I couldn't agree more." Eusine cut in. "I'm the one who's going to be Suicune's partner! I don't care what any prophecy says!"

With that, Eusine stormed out of the room.

"As single minded as ever." Morty sighed.

"Dude seems like he needs to get a life." Bolt observed.

Meanwhile, Entei and Raikou looked at Ash and Misty. Raikou growled at Entei as it it was try to ask the beast of fire something. Entei responded by making a low growling noise and narrowing its eyes at Misty.

* * *

Meanwhile on the roof of the gym, Noir Mask had overheard the whole conversation and had contacted Giovanni. She had informed him of the prophecy concerning Ho-Oh.

"I see, so are you certain this prophecy might be true?" Giovanni asked.

"As hard to believe as it sounds, there are too many coincidences at work sir." Noir Mask pointed out.

"Well then, the Legendary Beasts are one thing, but Ho-Oh is another prize all together." Giovanni said with a sinister grin. "Continue to observe and report. I will be arriving in the city in a few hours. Until then keep me informed of any changes."

"Yes sir." Noir Mask replied, and with that the hologram disappeared.

* * *

A bit later, Misty had gone out for a stroll by the Burned Tower, one of Ecruteak City's other well-known landmarks. She wondered why Ash found it so hard to believe that he might be the one destined to partner with Suicune. But she did admit to herself that she would find it hard to believe too if she were in Ash's position. Togepi meanwhile was happily trotting around Misty's feet. But suddenly the little egg Pokemon stopped and looked back as if it sensed something.

"Is something wrong Togepi?" Misty asked after taking notice of Togepi's behavior.

As if in answer to her question, Misty suddenly heard a growling noise behind her that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Slowly she turned around to see what made the noise. Standing atop a large rock was a creature that looked like a cross between a wolf and a leopard. Its eyes were red and it had no visible nose. It's snout and underside was white, while the rest of its body was blue with large white diamond-shaped spots in various places. It had two tails like long white streamers that curved around towards the front of its body, and on its back was a sort of purple cape that resembled an aurora. On the creature's forehead was a large blue diamond-shaped crest. Right away Misty recognized the Pokemon as Suicune the third Legendary Beast, and she could tell from the look in Suicune's eyes that it wanted to battle.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Misty's encounter with Suicune is heavily based on the part of Pokemon Crystal when the player encounters Suicune in the Tin Tower. That was probably my favorite part of Crystal. Suicune comes at you like its about to pounce and tear out your jugular.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	6. Suicune's Challenge

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

Chapter 6: Suicune's Challenge

Right outside the historic Burned Tower of Ecruteak City, Suicune had appeared before Misty. The great beast of water glared at Misty from atop the rock it was standing on. Misty could tell that Suicune wanted a fight. This troubled Misty greatly, as aide from Togepi she only brought two other Pokemon with her. At the time Misty thought it was only fair that she took a limited team, as the only Pokemon that Ash had brought with him was Pikachu. But as Suicune was getting ready to pounce she was starting to greatly regret that decision. Even so, it was clear to Misty that she had no other option but to fight.

"Go Corsola!" Misty called as she threw out a Pokeball in the exact second that Suicune leapt from its rock.

Emerging from the ball was a round somewhat rock-like creature that was pink on its top half and white on its bottom. On its back were four branch-like horns that resembled coral. It also had two stubby arms and four stubby legs. Corsola rammed into Suicune as soon as it had emerged from its ball. The two Pokemon bounced off each other and landed on their feet. Suicune fought back by firing a beam of multicolored light from its mouth.

"Quick Corsola, use Mirror Coat!" Misty commanded.

Corsola's body became surrounded by an orange aura. The beam hit the aura and split apart. Each of the parts reflected back at Suicune, hitting the beast with an incredible amount of power.

"Now use Spike Cannon!" Misty commanded.

Just as the smoke had begun to clear, Corsola began to glow white and from its horns fired a barrage of glowing white spikes. Suicune was hit by the attack before it had a chance to recover from being hit by its reflected attack. As Suicune continued to be hit, Bolt showed up and was surprised by what he was seeing.

"Crud! Looks like it's time for Ash to go on!" Bolt exclaimed before quickly turning to go get help.

As Bolt rushed off, a Fast Ball fell from his slightly open bag and rolled on the ground and hit Misty's feet. Despite the battle before her, Misty noticed the ball and picked it up. Meanwhile, Corsola's attack had finally ended. Suicune got back to its feet and bared its fangs at Corsola. Those fangs started to glow with a blue light, and an icy mist started to come out of Suicune's mouth. Suicune charged at Corsola and bit it on one of its horns. Corsola cried out as ice began to form where Suicune was biting it.

"Oh no!" Misty cried out with a worried expression. Suicune jerked its head and threw Corsola into a nearby tree. The beast of water then fired off another beam of light from its mouth. "Corsola, use Mirror Coat again!"

Seconds before the beam hit, Corsola managed to recover and once again its body was surrounded by an orange aura. Suicune's beam was reflected back yet again.

"Now use Recover!" Misty commanded.

Corsola's body became surrounded by an aura of white light, and soon all the damaged it had suffered in battle had healed. Meanwhile Suicune was getting back to its feet again.

"Okay Corsola, hit Suicune with Tackle!" Misty commanded. Corsola leapt into the air and rammed into Suicune with an extreme amount of force. "Now use Spike Cannon again!"

Once again Corsola's body began to glow white, and soon Suicune was being hit by another barrage of glowing white spikes. The attack ended after about three minutes. Suicune managed to get back up again, but it was breathing heavily. Misty could see that Suicune was starting to run out of steam. She decided that the time had come to try and catch it.

"Fast Ball, go!" Misty cried as she threw out the Pokeball.

The ball hit Suicune and sucked it in. It then jiggled a few times as the red light on the front button on the front flashed. Misty anxiously watched the ball, wondering if Suicune would break out. After what seemed like an eternity though, the ball finally stopped moving. The light on the front stopped flashing and the ball made the noise that signaled that the capture had been completed. As Misty walked over and picked up the ball, Bolt finally returned with Ash, Pikachu, Lisa, Morty, and Eusine.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"…I captured Suicune." Misty said with an expression of disbelief.

"What? Impossible!" Eusine declared. "I'm the one who's supposed to capture Suicune."

"First of all dude, get a life." Bolt cut in. "Second, I thought that scroll said that Ash was supposed to be the one to catch Suicune."

"I must admit I'm confused about this myself." Morty agreed. "Just what happened Misty?"

"Suicune just showed up and attacked me." Misty told him.

"So in other words it challenged you." Morty responded. "That would mean that it wanted to test your worthiness to be its partner. Still, it doesn't seem to fit with the prophecy."

"I told you that prophecy was nonsense!" Eusine insisted. "Furthermore, I'm not willing to accept that Suicune chose Misty over me. Which is why I'm challenging you to a battle Misty, right here, right now!"

Before Misty could respond, Suicune, Entei, and Raikou suddenly emerged from their Pokeballs. The three beasts nodded at each other before gathering together and sitting in a circle. They then looked up at the sky and let out an ear-splitting roar that echoed through the land. Seconds later the air was filled with the sound of bells ringing.

"Is that sound just the ringing in my ears, or can everyone else hear that too?" Bolt asked.

"Those are the bells of the Tin Tower." Morty explained. "They're meant to signal the return of Ho-Oh."

"So then Ho-Oh is coming here?" Ash asked.

"It does fit with the prophecy." Morty answered. "The scroll said that once the three beasts had chosen their partners, Ho-Oh would arrive to test another trainer."

Before the conversation could go any further, the three Legendary Beasts began to head in the direction of the Tin Tower, with Suicune leading the way. Ash and the others immediately followed close behind. After a few minutes the group had finally arrived at the base of the Tin Tower. The three beasts then went inside with the others following. Once inside, Suicune stopped in front of a door and blew it down with a beam of light.

"What's Suicune doing?" Misty asked as the beast of water went into the room.

"It's going into the shrine containing the Rainbow Wing." Morty explained. "It's a feather that's said to have fallen from Ho-Oh when it flew away from the original Tin Tower."

Suicune returned from the room carrying a red, almost glistening feather in its mouth. It then stopped in front of Ash and dropped the feather at Ash's feet. Suicune then nudged its head in the direction of the staircase leading to the next floor of the tower.

"You want me go up those stairs?" Ash asked. Suicune nodded in response.

"Ash, this can only mean that you are the one that Ho-Oh is coming to test." Morty realized.

"Me?" Ash said in amazement.

"This was all meant to be. Ho-Oh probably chose you for this the day you started your journey." Morty theorized. "You must take the Rainbow Wing and go with Pikachu to the roof of the Tin Tower. Ho-Oh will soon arrive and test the both of you."

"I don't see why I'm the one to do this. I mean I'm not the strongest trainer out there." Ash admitted. "That was proven to me at the Silver Conference."

"Ash, you saw Ho-Oh that day for a reason." Morty told him. "This is your chance to find out what that reason is. If you turn back now you'll never know."

"Ash, I don't know why Ho-Oh picked you to test, but I know you can pass, whatever that test is." Misty cut in. "I believe in you."

Ash looked at Pikachu, who gave his human partner an encouraging look. He then looked back at Misty.

"Okay then." Ash said as he picked up the Rainbow Wing. "Let's go Pikachu."

With that, Ash and Pikachu headed up the stairs to the next floor. Suicune, Entei, and Raikou headed out of the tower. The rest of the group followed close behind. Though Misty stayed a moment to look at the staircase that Ash had gone up before joining the others. Moments later the group had gathered outside the foot of the tower. Misty looked at Suicune with a confused expression as the beast of water licked its front legs to clean itself. Togepi then trotted over to Suicune to visit it.

"I still don't understand why Suicune chose me for its partner." Misty said as she watched Togepi run around in front of Suicune. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have a legendary water Pokemon. But I never saw Ho-Oh like Ash did."

"I've been thinking about this on the way over here, and I've realized something." Morty began to explain. "Of the three beasts, Suicune is closer to Ho-Oh and is a bit more trusting of humans. "It's possible that Suicune simply chose you itself."

"But why? I haven't even lost my path in life like Ash and the others have." Misty pointed out.

"You sure about that?" Lisa asked. "When we were talking last night before Noir Mask attacked, it seemed to me that you were unsure about continuing to travel with Ash."

"Well, you are right about that." Misty admitted. "Since our friend Brock left to go run his gym, I've been wondering if maybe I should just give up on Ash and go back home. He sure seemed to make it clear this morning that he doesn't feel the same way I feel about him."

"I would be too sure about that." Bolt cut in. "Ash and I talked on the way here to the city, and it seems to me that he's just starting to figure out how he really feels about you. So if I were you I wouldn't count Ash out just yet."

"I'm still not sure." Misty told him.

"Before this is over, many paths will be decided." Morty declared. "For now we must wait and see what happens. Ho-Oh's trial of Ash will show us all which path we should take."

* * *

Just outside the city, Noir Mask stood as a black helicopter landed in the clearing. Stepping out with ten men in Team Rocket uniforms was a man with slicked-back dark-brown hair wearing an orange suit and red tie. This of course was Giovanni, and walking at his feet was his Persian.

"Any new developments to report?" Giovanni asked.

"Suicune was captured not too long ago." Noir Mask reported. "Right now the trainer that former members Jessie and James were chasing, Ash Ketchum, is heading to the top of the Tin Tower to await Ho-Oh. At least that's what I've heard."

"Well then, I think we should head over to the Tin Tower ourselves." Giovanni said with a sinister grin. "Once Ho-Oh lands at the tower we'll strike. First we shall take the Legendary Beasts, then Ho-Oh itself!"

* * *

The actual trial of the phoenix begins next chapter. Will Ash and Pikachu pass Ho-Oh's test? Stay tuned to find out.

In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think.


	7. Arrival of the Phoenix

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

Chapter 7: Arrival of the Phoenix

Ash and Pikachu continued walking up the floors of the Tin Tower. The floorboards of the ancient structure creaked with each step that Ask took. The entire trip up, Ash continued to wonder why Ho-Oh would choose him to test. While it was true that it was Ash's dream to become a Pokemon Master, he was far from achieving that goal. The Silver Conference had reminded him of that. So why would Ho-Oh bother with him when there were many other trainers out there who were far stronger?

At last, Ash and Pikachu had reached the top floor of the tower. After going up the last staircase they had reached the roof. Right away Pikachu trotted over to the edge of the roof to get a better look at the view. Ash joined him moments later. The view from the top of the Tin Tower was simply breath taking. Not only could Ash see all of Ecruteak City, but he could also see Goldenrod City in the distance. By looking to the west Ash could just make out the lighthouse of Olivine City, and in the east he could clearly see Mount Mortar and Mount Silver. It was almost as if he had come to the top of the world.

"You can almost see all of Johto from up here." Ash commented. "We sure have come a long way, haven't we Pikachu?"

"Pika." The electric rodent responded.

"But it seems like we still have a lot farther to go." Ash added. "There are still so many Pokemon out there we haven't seen, and so many strong trainers out there we haven't battled. Our journey is far from over."

Moments after Ash said that, the bells of the Tin Tower rang again. Ash and Pikachu turned around and looked up. Flying towards the tower was a massive red bird with a white underside. It had a large yellow beak and black rings around its eyes. Around its long neck was a green band, and shimmering green feathers rimed its enormous wings. Magnificent golden feathers composed its tail, and adorning the top of its head was a golden comb. Within moments the great bird landed on the roof and sat before Ash and Pikachu.

"Ho-Oh." Ash said in awe as he and Pikachu approached the legendary phoenix. "I know you're here to test me, but I don't understand why. What's so special about me?"

Ho-Oh responded by looking at Pikachu. In that moment it seemed to become clear to Ash.

"I think I get it now. You're not just testing me, are you?" Ash realized. "You want to test both me and Pikachu. Well then Pikachu, you up for the challenge?"

"Pika!" the rodent declared enthusiastically.

"Okay then Ho-Oh, we accept your challenge!" Ash declared. Ho-Oh responded by unfolding its wings and shrieking.

* * *

Back down on the ground, Misty and the others had seen Ho-Oh descend to the roof of the tower.

"I wish we could be up there with Ash." Misty said with a worried expression.

"Ash and Pikachu have to face this challenge on their own." Morty told her.

"Besides, you five have your own problems to worry about." A voice interrupted. The group turned to see Noir Mask standing not too far away.

"Whoever you are, leave now!" Morty commanded. "This is no place for the likes of you!"

"You're in no position to be making demands I'm afraid." Giovanni said as he, Persian, and the men he had brought joined Noir Mask.

"Who are you?" Eusine demanded to know.

"I am Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket. And as you may have guessed, I have come for Ho-Oh and the Legendary Beasts." Giovanni explained. "I suggest you hand over those beasts and allow us to enter the Tin Tower. Otherwise things will become very unpleasant."

"Dream on creep!" Bolt declared.

"So you've chosen to do things the hard way I see." Giovanni said with an amused expression before snapping his fingers. Within moments the Team Rocket grunts surrounded the group. "I'll give you one more chance. As my former underlings used to say, surrender now or prepare to fight."

"C'mon Morty, we can take these guys!" Eusine declared. "Go Alakazam!"

Emerging from the Pokeball thrown by Eusine was a somewhat humanoid creature with a large fox-like head that had a long mustache. Its torso, lower legs, and forearms were brown, while the rest of its body was tan. In each hand it carried a large spoon.

"You take on half, I'll take the rest." Morty told Eusine. "Go Gengar!"

Emerging from the thrown ball was a black almost spherical creature with short arms and legs. Its back was covered with spiked fur and its face consisted of two red eyes and a sinister grin. The Rocket grunts all responded by sending out several floating grayish-purple balls with faces on them. The creatures looked similar to Wheezing.

"A bunch of Koffing huh? This'll be a piece of cake." Eusine said confidently.

As Morty and Eusine began fighting off the Koffing, Misty, Lisa, and Bolt, were left to face Giovanni and Noir Mask.

"I'll let my men handle your friends." Giovanni said to the trio. "In the meantime you three still have us to deal with."

"Sir, I would like to take on Lisa Flare, the girl with Entei, myself." Noir Mask requested.

"By all means, go ahead." Giovanni replied. "The other two are more than enough to keep me occupied."

"Thank you sir." Noir Mask said with a somewhat insane smile. "Now we can finally settle things dear Lisa. Go Zweilos!"

"I have no clue what you're talking about, but fine with me!" Lisa said as Zweilos emerged from Noir Mask Pokeball. "Go Entei!"

Entei roared and charged at Zweilos. Meanwhile Giovanni looked at Misty and Bolt with a confident smile. Suicune and Raikou had already gotten in front of their human partners, ready for battle.

"Now let me see. To take on Raikou I think I'll use this Pokemon." Giovanni said as he threw out a Pokeball. "Go Nidoking!"

Emerging from the thrown ball was a large purple creature with a white chest and belly that almost looked like a cross between a gorilla and a rhino. It had large ears that were green on the inside, and a long horn adorned its forehead. Its back was covered in spines and it had a thick long tail.

"As for Suicune, it has been awhile since my Persian has had a good workout. So I'll use him!" Giovanni announced. Persian leapt from Giovanni's side onto the battlefield and growled. "This should be quite fun."

* * *

Meanwhile atop the Tin Tower, the battle between Pikachu and Ho-Oh was just beginning. Ho-Oh rose a few feet into the air, and suddenly its eyes began glowing with a blue light. Seconds later, Ho-Oh body became covered in rose-colored flames. With a flap of its wings, the great phoenix sent those flames at Pikachu.

"Quick Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu ran from the spot it was standing seconds before the flames hit the roof. The attack did do some damage though, as the very end of Pikachu's tail had been singed by the flames.

"You okay Pikachu?" Ash asked with a worried expression. Though it looked like it was in pain, Pikachu nodded at Ash. "Okay then, use Thunder Bolt!"

"Pik… a… CHUU!" Pikachu cried out as it sent a blast of yellow electricity from its body.

The bolt of yellow lightning hit Ho-Oh on its left wing, causing it to cry out. Ho-Oh quickly recovered however and flew a few feet high into the air. It circled around the roof and attacked Pikachu from the right with a blast of flames from its beak. Pikachu ran from the attack seconds before it hit.

"Use Thunder Bolt again!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu fired another blast of electricity, hitting Ho-Oh in the same spot as before. Once again, Ho-Oh retaliated by covering its body in rose-colored flames and sending them at Pikachu with a flap of its wings. It seemed that there was no way for Pikachu to dodge the attack.

"Pikachu, no!" Ash cried as the storm of flames hit.

When the fire cleared however, Pikachu was nowhere to be seen. Ash looked around and soon saw Pikachu in the air flying at Ho-Oh. It didn't take long for Ash to figure out what had happened. He realized that Pikachu had used its tail as a springboard to launch itself in the air seconds before Ho-Oh's attack had hit. It was a trick that Pikachu had used in battle before. Pikachu landed on Ho-Oh's face, obscuring the great bird's vision as a result.

"Great job Pikachu!" Ash called. "Now let's finish this! Hit Ho-Oh with Thunder!"

"Pik… a… CHUUUUUUU!" Pikachu cried out as it sent a powerful blast of electricity into the sky. The blast came back down as an enormous bolt of lightning that hit Ho-Oh dead on.

When the attack ended, Ho-Oh crashed back to the roof of the tower. Pikachu fell off and landed right in front of Ash. The electric rodent soon got back to its feet, though it was breathing heavily. Ho-Oh had also gotten up, but it too look to be in bad shape. It seemed that it wasn't able to get back into the air.

"It's now or never. Pokeball, go!" Ash called out as he threw a ball.

The Pokaball hit and sucked Ho-Oh in, rolling up in front of Pikachu after doing so. Ash and Pikachu watched anxiously, wondering if Ho-Oh would break free. Ash hoped that it didn't, because Pikachu did not seem like it could take much more punishment. And Ash did not have any other Pokemon with him to use. At long last however, the ball stopped moving and made the noise that indicated that the capture had been completed.

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed as he picked up the Pokeball. "I caught a Ho-Oh!"

"Chaaaa!" Pikachu suddenly cried out as it fell to the ground.

"Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed as he quickly picked up Pikachu. "Don't worry buddy. I'll get you to a Pokemon Center real soon."

Before Ash could head for the stairs he heard the sound of an explosion from the ground below. He went over to the edge of the roof and looked down to the foot of the tower. From where he was, Ash could see his friends struggling against Giovanni and Noir Mask while Morty and Eusine fought off the grunts. With Pikachu out of commission and Ho-Oh badly injured, Ash couldn't see how he could help out.

* * *

And we'll leave off there. So Ash has captured Ho-Oh, but can he help out Misty and the others with only two very injured Pokemon? Stay tuned to find out.

In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think.


	8. The Chosen Hero

**Author's Note:** There's some epic foreshadowing in this chapter. You'll know it when you see it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

Chapter 8: The Chosen Hero

At the foot of the Tin Tower, Morty and Eusine were still trying to hold off the Team Rocket grunts, all of who seemed to have several Pokemon with them. Despite their power, Gengar and Alakazam were starting to wear down. Meanwhile, Lisa and Entei had their hands full with Noir Mask and her Zweilos. Zweilos hit Entei with blasts of green flames from both heads. Entei was hit by the attack and seemed to have a little trouble moving.

"Oh dear, that's what happens sometimes when my darling Zweilos uses Dragon Breath!" Noir Mask laughed madly. "Sometimes the opponent becomes paralyzed. Now Zweilos, hit Entei with Dragon Rush!"

Zweilos's body became covered in blue light as it charged at Entei.

"Fight back with Stomp!" Lisa commanded.

Seconds before Zweilos rammed into Entei, the beast of fire recovered somewhat and raised its right front leg. It brought that leg back down on Zweilos with such force that the dragon was crushed into the ground.

"It won't be that easy to beat me Noir!" Lisa declared. "I don't know what your problem with me is, but I'm taking you down!"

Meanwhile, Bolt and Misty were having their own problems with Giovanni's Pokemon. Giovanni's Nidoking had just rammed Raikou with its horn and thrown the beast of thunder into the air.

"Good, now use Thrash Nidoking!" Giovanni commanded. "Pound Raikou into the ground!"

Just as Raikou was getting back to its feet, Nidoking slammed its tail into it. The creature then began stomping on Raikou's back.

"Aw man, how did this happen?" Bolt asked in frustration.

"Suicune, go help Raikou out with Ice Fang!" Misty commanded.

As Suicune charged at Nidoking, its fangs began glowing with a blue light and it started breathing out an icy mist. But before Suicune could get to Nidoking, Persian jumped in its way.

"Not so fast my dear." Giovanni said to Misty. "You still have my Persian to deal with, and he should not be taken lightly. Use Hypnosis Persian!"

Persian's eyes began glowing with a pink light. Suicune suddenly started moving as if it was starting to fall asleep.

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time!" Giovanni laughed. "Use Night Slash!"

The claws on Persian's right paw started glowing with a purple light. The cat lunged at Suicune and slashed it across the left side with its glowing claws. Suicune seemed to have even more trouble standing after that attack.

"Suicune, no!" Misty cried out.

"Soon Ho-Oh and the Legendary Beasts will be mine, and Team Rocket will reign supreme once more!" Giovanni laughed.

Back atop the Tin Tower, Ash watched desperately as he tried to figure out a way to help Misty and the others. He knew Pikachu wasn't in any condition to battle, but there was a slim chance that the Pokemon he had only just captured could still help.

"Go Ho-Oh!" Ash called as he threw out the Pokeball.

Ho-Oh emerged from the thrown ball, but right away Ash could see just how injured it had gotten during the battle with Pikachu. Ash began to doubt that Ho-Oh could still help, but he had to try anyway.

"I know you're hurt Ho-Oh, but you gotta help me save my friends!" Ash begged. "Right now they're in real trouble and I don't have any other way to save them. So please!"

Ho-Oh looked at Ash for a moment and then scratched under its left wing with its beak. As soon as it did, an old brown pouch fell out from under the wing.

"What's this?" Ash asked as he picked up the pouch

Ho-Oh cried out, startling Ash and causing him to drop the pouch. As it fell, the contents poured out and suddenly the three were enveloped in a large cloud of ash and soot. Both Ho-Oh and Pikachu momentarily lit up with rose-colored flames as the cloud faded. Suddenly Ash saw that Ho-Oh's injuries had completely healed.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried enthusiastically as it suddenly jumped to the ground out of Ash's arms.

"You're all better now?" Ash asked with a look of amazement.

"Pika." Pikachu said again as its cheeks began to spark.

"Alright then, let's go help our friends!" Ash said enthusiastically.

Ash and Pikachu climbed onto Ho-Oh's back. Within moments the great phoenix spread its wings and began flying towards the foot of the Tin Tower. All those who were battle suddenly stopped and looked up. Both Morty and Eusine were in awe of the site. Meanwhile Giovanni chuckled sinisterly.

"Well, I must say I'm impressed young man!" Giovanni called up to Ash. "It seems you were able to capture the great Ho-Oh. You've just saved my men and I a lot of trouble. Now hand Ho-Oh over to me!"

"No way!" Ash declared. "Why do you want Ho-Oh anyway?"

"Why that's obvious!" Giovanni said with amusement. "To become the strongest force imaginable. With Ho-Oh and the Legendary Beasts at our disposal Team Rocket will become the strongest power in the world! No one will be able to stand against us!"

"And what about all the Pokemon you'll end up hurting?" Ash asked. "Don't you care about that?"

"As long as those Pokemon do what we tell them I don't care one bit how they feel!" Giovanni laughed. "All that matters is how well they serve us!"

"You monster!" Ash shouted.

At that moment Ho-Oh suddenly flew down at Giovanni at incredible speed. It shrieked and its eyes lit up with a blue light. Suddenly, a bright blue light that had expanded from Ho-Oh enveloped Ash, Pikachu, and Giovanni.

* * *

_Ash and Pikachu suddenly found themselves floating in the air. They looked down, and Ash saw someone who looked like himself ten years in the future. His black hair had become long and was tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a blue vest and faded jeans. Pikachu was perched on this older Ash's shoulder, and sitting behind him was Ho-Oh. Standing at his side was a Pokemon that looked like a blue bipedal jackal. Ash had never seen such a Pokemon before._

_Also standing at the side of this older Ash was an older Misty with Suicune, along with Lisa and Bolt with their respective Legendary Beasts. Ash's old friend Brock was there as well at the side of this future Ash. Hovering a few feet above this group was a six-foot creature with a humanoid build that resembled a cat. It had agreyish-white body with a purple belly and tail. Right away Ash and Pikachu recognized the Pokemon as Mewtwo._

_There were several other people and Pokemon there standing with this older Ash as well. Ash recognized a few of them. A few of them were gym leaders such as Morty and Sabrina from Saffron City. But there were a lot of people in this group that Ash did not recognize, and even more Pokemon. Among the most notable Pokemon in the group was a large black dragon with muscular arms and a tail that resembled a turbine. Riding on this dragon's shoulder was a young man with long green hair tied back in a ponytail a black and white ball cap._

_The sky above was overcast with storm clouds, and Ash suddenly realized that this group was standing on a large hill overlooking a beach. Ash and Pikachu looked down at the beach and saw hundreds of people in Team Rocket uniforms. Then Ash noticed a long pointed rock sticking out a few feet from the beach into the ocean, and there was someone standing on top. It was a young man with long red hair wearing mostly black. A sinister smile was on the young man's face._

_The redhead snapped his fingers, and bursting from the ocean behind him came a massive creature that was mostly black and looked like a cross between a bird and a dragon. The feathers on the ends of its wings resembled hands, and its eyes glowed red like a demon's. Ash thought that this Pokemon looked a bit like the legendary bird, Lugia. But he had seen a few Lugia before, and they looked nothing like the creature that seemed to be under the command of the redhead. Whatever the black creature was though, it roared causing Ho-Oh to spread its wings and shriek in response. After that there was another flash of blue light._

* * *

Ash and Pikachu found themselves once again riding Ho-Oh's back. Both of them were understandably confused by what they had just seen. Giovanni meanwhile looked up with an expression of terror. It seemed that he had also seen what Ash and Pikachu saw.

"No… it can't be!" Giovanni said as all the color drained from his face. "I-I never wanted… but that means… if this vision is true…. We're retreating at once!"

"Sir?" one of the grunts asked in confusion.

"You heard me, this mission is canceled!" Giovanni ordered. "Now move out!"

Many of the grunts looked at each other in confusion. Noir Mask meanwhile gritted her teeth and called back Zweilos.

"You heard him, now move!" Noir Mask ordered the grunts. The grunts then began calling back their Pokemon. Meanwhile Noir Mask looked back at Lisa. "I guess we'll have to settle this another time dear Lisa."

With that, Noir Mask began walking away with the grunts. Giovanni called back Nidoking and he and Persian began walking away as well. But he stopped for a moment and looked back up at Ash and Ho-Oh. Ash thought that Giovanni's eyes looked as if they were begging for help. After a moment Giovanni and Persian rejoined the their small army. Meanwhile Ho-Oh landed, allowing Ash and Pikachu to dismount.

"What happened Ash?" Misty asked.

"I don't know." Ash said as he rubbed the back of his head in confusion. "When Pikachu and I were hit by that light from Ho-Oh, it was like we were transported somewhere else. And I know this'll sound crazy, but in that place I saw someone who looked like me but… older."

"Ho-Oh must've shown you a vision of the future." Morty theorized.

"It probably showed Giovanni too, since he got caught in that light when Ash did." Bolt added. "Looks like he saw something in there that scared the crap outta him."

"What did you see exactly?" Misty asked Ash.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." Ash told her. "Right now just thinking about it is giving me a headache."

"The vision will become clearer in time." Morty assured Ash. "How long I cannot say, but for now it is probably best not to dwell on it."

"Well whatever happened, it's been a long day." Lisa cut in. "We should get to the Pokemon Center for some rest."

The others all agreed and called back their Pokemon. After that they headed for the Ecruteak City Pokemon Center.

* * *

The next day, Ash, Misty, Lisa, and Bolt had gathered out in front of the Pokemon Center. The time had come for the group to go their separate ways.

"So where are you going Lisa?" Misty asked.

"I think I'll stay here in Johto for awhile." Lisa told her. "I like this region, and maybe traveling around it will help me get over… the person I lost."

With that Lisa sent out Rapidash.

"I hope we meet again one day." Lisa said as she mounted her steed, and with that she road off.

"Well, I think I'll be hitting the road too." Bolt told Ash and Misty. "You guys are from Kanto, right? I think I'll check that place out."

"Say hi to Professor Oak when you get there." Ash suggested.

"Will do. Catch you guys later." Bolt said with a wave as he strolled off.

"So what are you planning to do Ash?" Misty asked.

"Well, I was thinking of going back to Pallet Town for awhile and then head for the Hoenn Region." Ash told her. "What were you thinking of doing?"

"I'm not really sure." Misty said with a somewhat angry look as she turned her back to Ash.

"I'd… really like you to come with me." Ash suddenly said, causing Misty to turn back around. "The fact is Misty… I can't really picture traveling without you. In fact I really… like you. So… will you… go with me?"

Misty couldn't believe what she had heard Ash say. She was of course hoping that Ash would use a stringer word than "like", but she decided to take what she could get.

"Well when you put it that way, why not?" Misty smiled. "Sounds like fun. So I guess we should start walking for Pallet Town, huh?"

"Why walk when we can fly?" Ash pointed out. "Go Ho-Oh!"

Ho-Oh emerged from the thrown ball. The site of the great bird caused many of the passersby to stop and stare in awe. One old man who saw Ho-Oh's appearance almost had a heart attack. Ash, Misty, and Pikachu mounted Ho-Oh's back.

"Okay Ho-Oh, take us to Pallet Town!" Ash commanded.

Ho-Oh cried out and took off, creating a huge gust of wind as it did so. The great phoenix then began flying to Ash's hometown, where he and Misty would soon begin another adventure.

FIN

* * *

**Author's Note:** So obviously I'm going to be doing sequels to this story. The Ash from the vision already appears in my other story, Fire for Ice. If you've played Pokemon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, or SoulSilver, then you can probably guess who the redheaded young man in Ash's vision was. One of Ash's allies in the vision is also a pretty prominent character from the games. The guy with the green hair and ball cap riding the black dragon is a very important character from Black and White.

But of course a lot has to happen before getting to that point. There are a few stories I need to do first. But before I continue on the revised journeys of Ash and Misty, there's another project I'm going to do first. A project focusing on one of the major OCs in this story, Noir Mask. This character took on a life of her own, so I'm going to be telling her story next in the form of the Noir Mask Trilogy.

So if you like what I've read here, stay tuned for my next story, **Rise of Noir Mask.**

In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think.


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